


Severus Foreverus/1997

by EliLeFey



Category: Arthurian Mythology, Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-09
Updated: 2016-03-27
Packaged: 2018-04-25 14:43:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4964689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EliLeFey/pseuds/EliLeFey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cordelia Morgan and Albus Dumbledore die, Jeanne-Marie is now in charge.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Yule 1996**

Cordelia knew her life was ending. She could sense her body beginning to fail, so she made sure that things were in order and everyone taken care of. She spent more time with Severus and Jeanne-Marie about the banks, both Muggle and Wizards, and all the many intricacies of running an estate that size. The house elves and Nisse knew their jobs well and handled almost all of the day to day situations with expertise. She began to give away many of her possessions to her friends and family, and took the time to renew friendships that had lapsed. She was saying goodbye in style, as she had lived. She planned on throwing as many parties, give as many intimate dinners, listen to music and dance as much as she could.

She was concerned about Albus. She had seen his death with her Sight, now very acute with the approach of death. She was aware of the rift between Albus and Eli and hoped it could be healed before he died. He was facing enough karmic debt as it was. She knew what was happening at Hogwarts and how dangerous things were for everyone in the realm. She was appalled at how mere children were the only ones willing and able to step up to the plate to take swings at Riddle, while the adults in charge either ignored the menace or openly appeased Riddle’s supporters. When did Albus lose his courage, she mused. Probably when he bailed on dealing with Gellert. He lacked the courage to finish the fight, he wouldn’t face his own daemons, just as those cravens in the Ministry had not been willing to purge themselves of the evil in their midst.

Takeshi died to protect the guilty, and she knew his murderers would never be held accountable for that crime. They would destroy themselves; all fascistic organizations carry their own destruction within and never lasted long. She’d looked in the Scrying Pool herself about the upcoming battle. She was glad she wouldn’t have to be alive to see it. Her great granddaughters would do what had to be done, Riddle would fail but so many had to die for no good reason.

 

There was no sense in wasting any of the time that was remaining to her to bother with the problems in the future. She’d rather concentrate on celebrating the joys of her life and enjoying the moment until the end. She knew hers had been a good life, a splendid life indeed. She had a lot of adventures, she’d learned a lot, loved a lot, and was the one who got to see the prophecy fulfilled. She’d been to Avalon many times, met some of the most fascinating people of her age, and always was the best dressed witch anywhere she went. She had no regrets.

 

Eli and Severus met Albus in the library on the farm before the party began.  Albus looked at his great granddaughter, sitting rigidly next to Severus across from him. He picked up Eli’s hand, then Severus’s and joined them. “Never let each other go. I knew you would protect your prince, Eli, and I hope you can try to understand why I mistreated Severus. I knew he was stronger than any of the Marauders, and with you by his side, none could harm him. I took advantage of your trust in me and losing that was one of my deepest regrets.”

“You’re using children to fight for you, Albus, that is so wrong on so many levels. From my understanding, it was the failure of you and other adults that allowed things to get so far out of hand. It’s like a rekindle in a fire, a good firefighter won’t let a fire get restarted, you make sure you put it out the first time.” _{note: This happened to me not long ago. We had a fire that was started by a tenant who tossed cigarettes out his window, into a closed off area of weeds and trash, not visible or accessible from the street. We’d had a fire a month or so earlier because of this. The FD put out a small fire, and the building manager was told to clear out the trash and dried weeds in the area, a lightwell between my building at the strip club next door. It used to be a really cool rock and roll venue before Bill Graham and Diane FineSwine and Her Minions economically cleansed the music scene out of town. The manager was also told to find out which tenant did it,and this was not hard to figure out because of the very few number of tenants who could have possibly tossed out lit cigarettes. I should mention they have had tenants who deliberately threw trash and lit debris in the lightwells before. The manager did not get the debris cleared out nor did he do anything about the tenant. So there was another fire. The FD showed up, said they put it out and left. Well, they didn’t put it out, they didn’t even look, according to witnesses I spoke to. The fire went in between the inner and outer wall of the building (built in 1906, balloon frame construction, this is a common problem in old buildings in this town) Well, it smolder and spread between the walls, and when the alarm went off the second time, most of us thought it was yet another false alarm, which has happened in the past. The building filled with smoke quickly, and the FD came back, and took a great deal of time getting access to the fire, which had spread considerably while they were dicking around setting up the ladder and running hose lines. That’s what you call a rekindle. Because of this fail on the part of the FD, my neighbor Richard, who was an Army vet, struggling to get by with severe pulmonary problems, died. He lingered for a while, but that final exposure to the smoke destroyed him. Back in the day, any smoke eater who allowed a rekindle like that would be told to find a new line of work. And now, back to our story}[Update:  A cat who had been in a room near the fire died recently; she never recovered from the smoke inhalation}_

Eli scowled. “Those assclowns in the Ministry won’t allow the Fey to help them, they won’t call in Mutual Aid from any of the other regions, and now, your only hope is the Children’s Crusade? Using Lily’s child as a weapon? Isn’t it bad enough she died fighting, you have to sacrifice her son as well? If you had not run away from every fight you ever started this could have been settled a long time ago. You’ve forced Severus into a very dangerous situation; expect him to outmaneuver Riddle when you couldn’t deal with him as a mere child.”

She got up, ran her hands through her hair, and walked away, then stopped. “O.K. I’m not being entirely fair. You are a part of a system that is corrupt and dysfunctional and things were not entirely in your contol. But you’re a user, Great Grandfather. You don’t bother to ask for volunteers, you don’t get informed consent. Yeah, ‘exigent circumstances require extraordinary measures,’ you don’t have to tell me that.”

Eli’s face crumpled. “I trusted you, Great Grandfather. If this is how you treat your own family …” she said as she turned away and walked to the window to stare outside. “you don’t know what you’ve done to Severus. I do. I know all his secrets, I feel what he feels, I suffer when he does. You don’t know, you don’t care, you’re just using him like you use everyone else. I don’t know what went wrong in your life to make you so callous. I can’t change the fact you are a part of my family, but I wish Great Grandmother had chosen another sire for her child. The worst part is that I can’t just cut you off and ignore you, like you’ve done to so many.”

You didn’t have to be an empath to tell how hard Eli’s words hit Albus. He was unable to speak; what could he say? She was right. Guilty as charged. Severus came to her and put an arm around her waist. “Let’s go,” he whispered.

 

Eli looked into his eyes, as they walked out the door she said, without turning around, in a very soft voice, “All Severus asked was that you keep the Potters safe. You failed to protect them, yet you use the agreement you had with him to force him into doing something so far beyond your ability, so dangerous, so horrible, to be face to face with that abomination, to be forced to be the villain, hated by everyone at Hogwarts … by rights the agreement should have been voided when you failed in your duty. Yet Severus is honoring the agreement, he is honoring Lily by protecting her son, and you plan on just throwing that boy's life away, like Isaac, as a sacrifice .. . while you make Severus endure so much pain, so much humiliation, to be scorned by those he serves, his actions always above and beyond the call of duty. He is by far the better man than you, Albus. He can’t make any mistakes in the dangerous game you forced him to play, and you have made a career out of mistakes. Yet you are seen as the benevolent father figure. It’s a good thing the truth about you didn’t come out in the Wizengamot, you would have been sent to Azkaban’s yourself.”

They left the room and went to the loft.

Albus put his head in his hands, he was too hurt to cry. Eli spoke truths he had never had the courage to face. He knew he could never make up the damages he’d done to so many over his lifetime. His self created persona, of the kindly headmaster, was a complete sham and he knew it. He was worse than Gellert, who was at least honest about his desire for power and to control others. His quickly approaching death made this realization painful to the point of wishing he could die immediately and never have to face Eli, Severus, or anyone else he’d manipulated into pain and doom. He had failed to teach his students the lessons they needed. His ego was so immense, he had to be the greatest wizard and this desire allowed him to do things he knew he shouldn’t. “no fool like an old fool,” wasn’t that a Muggle saying?

Tonight would be a good night to get drunk with Cordelia, he decided. Neither of them had much time left. He wanted to tell her she was right. He was just like Gellert, but Gellert was a lot more intellectually honest about what he was.

 

Eli and Severus decided to go to Avalon to have dinner with his children. Severus knew how torn up inside Eli was, how hard it was to tell Albus what she’d been holding inside for so long. He was a part of her family, and such betrayal was beyond unthinkable to the Fey.  Telling off an Elder is considered to be comparable to treason, but being an Elder in need of being told off was considered to be dishonorable.  After the children had been put to bed they returned to the Farm, then to the loft to dress. It would be Cordelia’s last Yule party, and the estate was full, the festivities had spread to every room in the house, as well as the grounds, where children played with sleds on the hillside. Severus went to the wardrobe to pick out a dress for Eli. She had thrown herself on the bed with a blank expression on her face. He chose a purple velvet dress, long sleeved, floor length, an asymmetrical wrap dress that fastened at her hip with a jeweled holster for her athame, leaving her entire leg exposed when she walked or danced. He picked out a pair of dance shoes, covered with aurora colored crystals that sparkled with multicolored prisms when the light struck them, and a matching evening bag.

He knew she would need a lot of hashish to get through the night. He got out the glass dragon pipe, loaded it, and went over to Eli. He picked her up and leaned her on his shoulder, and she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. He activated the pipe. The dragon breathed fire on the ball in his paw, which contained the hashish, which was vaporized, and the vapor went through the body of the dragon. Severus gently lifted her face and held the tail to her mouth and she inhaled the vapor. “Thanks, Severus. I needed that.”

Severus took a puff himself. “He just doesn’t understand how you have to take on everything I suffer to save my sanity. That without you I would not be grounded and would go as insane as any of them. Or maybe he does understand and just doesn’t care about who suffers for his plans.”

Eli sighed. “I’m a warrior and a commander and I have sent soldiers to their deaths. But I did so with their clear consent, and I never gave an order I couldn’t or wouldn’t follow myself.  And I never used children.  We protected children.  He's like those Muggle terrorists who strap bombs on children.”

 

Severus pulled her to her feet and they went to the shower, then dressed, Severus in his most formal white tie and tails, made of silk twill so black no light was reflected at all. He let Eli put in the black opal studs and cuff links, and tie his tie for him. She styled her hair, pinned the mistletoe coronet on, put on a decent amount of makeup, and sat while Severus put on her crystal dance shoes, which he covered with a pair of fur lined leather boots for the walk through the snow to the farmhouse. They put on their most formal black cloaks and went down to the stables to greet all the horse and the Nisser at their party.

Even the weather was cooperating to make this night special. The clouds had begun to part, and the full moon peaked in and out of the clouds, turning the new fallen snow to a glittering blue and silver blanket over the world. They walked though the garden to the library entrance. Most of the Hogwarts staff attending were assembled here, along with the school friends she’d made, including Augusta Longbottom, who brought Neville as well as Athena Addington. The two women had agreed to put aside their differences, both had been friends with Cordelia since they were schoolgirls.

In the main room, in front of the fireplace,  Cordelia sat next to Jeanne-Marie, both dressed in court dresses, woven of enchanted silver white silk, woven in a pattern of snowflakes, dusted with tiny seed pearls and clear crystals. Eli knew the dresses weighed at least as much as a formal kimono, and didn’t envy them. Both wore diamond head pieces, as well as heavy necklaces, Cordelia wore emeralds, and Jeanne-Marie blood red rubies. The two women invited Severus to sit between them, as a sign of respect. All those paying court to Cordelia and her heir Jeanne-Marie had to honor him, as well. Albus was aware of why she was doing this, and he was the first to bow to Severus.

Eli went to Neville and his grandmothers. She was delighted to see Athena Addington, and hoped Augusta Longbottom could keep her usual dislike in check. Augusta was wonderfully outspoken but she was a class act and knew this night was about Cordelia. Both of the women wore purple, now becoming a sign that one was a Faerie sympathizer. “Come on, Neville, dance with me,” Eli said and held out her hand. He bowed and took her hand and they went to the dance floor. “I’m so glad you’re here,” Eli said, when they spun into a waltz.

“Your great grandmother is wonderful, she was so nice to me!”

“She liked your mother a lot, you know. We all do. Even Severus.”

 

They danced until the band took a break. “Is Yojimbo here?”

“Of course. Want to go to say hi to the horses?”

“Of course!”

Eli and Neville went to collect her boots and cloak and they walked through the garden to the stables. The stables were lit up and decorated like the house, all of the horses and cashmere goats were eating and drinking in small groups, as Nils hosted a party with his Nisser friends and relatives, as well as any of the house elves and people who wanted to join them.  There was a group of Faerie horses, who worked with the Faerie soldiers assigned to the embassy, and Eli greeted them by name.   Yojimbo trotted a bit unsteadily up to Neville and “whuffed” at him, breathing out warm wassail fumes. Eli introduced him to Secretariat and Black Jack. “Black Jack was my father’s horse, he decided to come back for Cordelia and Severus. The horses know their way through the mists, you see. They can call the mists, too. We learned from the other creatures,” Eli said.  

She led Neville to a large stall at the far end of the stable.  "Shhh, she's asleep," Eli whispered and silently pulled open a curtain.  Neville was surprised to see a winged Palomino, larger than a Shire horse, curled up on a bed of flax with three of the stable cats sleeping on her.  "She's just a baby, Madame Maxine gave her to Older Sister as a going away present.  Her name is Haniel." 

"They're very rare, aren't they?"

"Yes, did you know they reproduce asexually?  Parthonogenesis, which is why they are all females and all Palominos.  You see the coloration is recessive, like magical talent in Terrans.  Older Sister literally wrote the book on their life cycle and care and training.   She won't be able to fly for another year or so."  

 

Eli took Neville for a tour of the grounds, and he told her of what was going on at Hogwarts. “I know you can’t do anything to help me, Grandmother is most adamant that we avoid too much contact right now. I read her the report on Takeshi’s murder, she cried. She is afraid for me . .. I don’t blame her, you know what it’s like to have a target on your back and people from the Ministry aiming at you … “

Eli squeezed his hand. “Oh, don’t you worry about me, I’m a soldier, and a Faerie, and we’re hard to kill. I just wish that the Ministry would stop the denial and so you children wouldn’t have to fight their battles. They’re battleshy, shameless cravens; cowards hiding behind you and your friends. I wish I could do something. All I would need is one platoon. Take out all of the Eaters and destroy his current body, then you can go find the horcruxes at your leisure.”

She smiled. “Imagine eternity, aware, with no body, unable to do anything, say anything, and never die … that’s Riddle’s problem, his pathological fear of death, as if it could be avoided. Yes, there are worse fates than death, and immortality is right on the top of the list.”

“I thought you believed in reincarnation.”

“I do. To be reborn you have to die, and the consciousness brought back to the oversoul. You can revisit past lives, but we don’t like to get too involved, it's often better to move on.  Unless you've been sent back because you weren't allowed to finish your mission, that happens, then the personality, the individual consciousness, continues in a new body. There is a method to go to a past life on the astral plane, and some can even go to realms beyond ours, anywhere in time and space.  But that's a lot of work and can get dangerous, there's enough of that here.”

“I asked about astral projection in class one day and Professor Slughorn said we don’t do that 'aeriefaerie stuff' at Hogwarts. They don’t like to talk about you, but Hagrid is quite fond of your family. He told me about you and how you visited the creatures in the Forest and how you could talk to unicorns. The librarian loaned me her books and the essays you’d written. The Ministry wanted to burn all the books about Faerie but she removed the books from the stacks and put them with her personal library; they can’t touch those books now.”

Eli laughed. “I just don’t get where anyone in Wizarding can think they are any better than Muggles when they do the same stupid shit. Let’s go back inside.” Albus was in the library, seated on the sofa in front of the fireplace when they got back. “Go find another Faerie to dance with, Neville.”

 

 

She went to the sofa and sat down next to her great grandfather. “I’ll try to be mindful of the collateral damage, Eli.  You're right, Severus is suffering for my sins.”

“That’s all I ask. I can understand why you have to send in children, since no adults are fit, there is so much corruption and incompetence in your realm. It’s not really fair of me to be so hard on you when I have all the advantages, you know, I have the Crone to advise me, you lack good seers and your ability to understand prophecy is so limited. It’s just that you have laid so much on Severus, more than anyone could be expected to bear.”

“He’s got you. He’s got family on both sides of the mist. I wish there was some way to lighten that load but there isn’t. I shouldn’t have to tell you that.”

 "Don't think your death will be the end of it, Great Grandfather, I am a necromancer and you can't escape me by dying.  I will make sure that I transfer at least some of the suffering to you there, to remind you of what you've done."

 

They went back to the main hall, where Cordelia was holding court.  She was thinking of all the Yule parties she'd thrown since she came into possession of the Farm, when she was in her late 20s.   Her mother had run afoul of a particularly dangerously deranged witch, one of the infamous Black clan, which led to Lysergia Morgan's early death, due to a curse very similar to the one that was killing Albus.

She missed Gellert, and the closer her death came, the greater her desire to see him one more time.  She often wondered how things would have turned out, had she chosen him rather than Albus for her son's father.    She preferred Gellert, always had, but she knew him too well, and understood that he would have asserted his "right" to be named the father and to take possession of Gwydion, and she would have gone along with his desire, because she had truly loved him, despite his megalomaniacal ways  He wasn't any worse than many of the Ministry, and to be sure, he never used children in his plans.   


	2. Yule Party Part 2

Severus didn’t like to eavesdrop on the thoughts of others, but sometimes he could hear them clearly.

He picked up on Cordelia’s desire to visit Gellert Grindenwald. He wondered if it were possible; perhaps Eli could go to Nurmengard on the astral plane, then apparate and set up a portkey? Would it be detected? He’d have to ask Eli. Would it be worth the risk to bring him a wand? Probably not; a wand would be detected. He had faith in the ability of Eli to use stealth, but he wasn’t sure what sort of wards were set up. They would have to do a reconnaissance mission astrally before any attempt was made at contacting Gellert.

Severus wanted to meet Gellert himself.  He had a few questions about Albus.  

 

The entire clan was gathered, from Torayama and Britian, all of her friends growing up, those she had met when she was out enjoying life, traveling, competing on the equestrian circuit (disguised as a man in Muggle competitions), even some of her past suitors had arrived, all looking terribly old ..but then, so did she, those still alive got old.

Horace Slughorn had paid court to her earlier, then begged off to go back to the castle to set up a party for the students.

Minerva reminisced about the horses they’d ridden, remembering the glory days of the equestrian team at Hogwarts, the ballrooms they danced in, and the wizards they danced with.

The music played all night, the wassail bowls were kept full, the hashish, opium, and hallucinogenic and euphoric herbs from Faerie were consumed.

Cordelia had always loved dancers and the dance, and she had invited many of the dancers she had befriended over the years, and they all danced for her.

After working the room, Eli sat on a cushion at Cordelia’s feet, next to Severus.

As the night progressed, more musicians came forward to play, and when Filius Flitwick got up he announced he would be playing his favorite dance tunes for ballroom dancing, old school. Albus approached Cordelia and held out his hand, and Severus pulled Eli to her feet and they took to the floor.

“We’re dancing until dawn, Eli.” She held him a little too closely to be strictly ballroom, but he didn’t mind. They danced in their own world that night, scarcely noticing anyone else, it was just the music and their bodies transformed by the magic.

Neville watched them dancing, hoping some day that he would love and be loved like that some day.

Albus watched them dancing, wishing that he had loved and been loved like that in his life.

Jeanne-Marie watched them dancing, knowing how much love like that would cost Eli.

 

 

As dawn approached, those who had dozed off were given very strong Faerie coffee, so they would not mis the sight of the Sun God being reborn.  Everyone roused themselves, found their cloaks and took the blankets being handed out by the house elves to find a good spot to watch it.  Severus and Eli went out, and Severus asked her to pull down a shadow over them, then picked her up in his arms and flew to the top of the hill.  He didn’t like anyone knowing of his ability to fly.  Only Lily and Eli knew.

Cordelia took Albus by the hand and led him to her boudoir, which had French doors that looked over the lake.  She poured out drinks for both of them.  “At our age we can do what we want, get as drunk as we want, so you stay here tonight, you don’t want to be at the castle when you’re in this state.” 

Albus laughed.  “That was just what I had in mind, one last Yule getting drunk on spiked Wassail . . . “

 

The dawn was as spectacular as the moon on the snow “ had been.  There were enough clouds in the sky to enhance the colors, reflected in the lake and the fresh snow so the world was tinted in a spectrum of pink, red, purple and lavender.   

Eli and Severus flew to her loft.  They undressed each other and g

ot into bed, holding each other tightly as their thoughts were understood by the other, no words needed, bodies and souls joined while they slept.

 

Cordelia made her way to her bed, and flopped down with a grin.  “My last Yule was the best, I’d say.  Other than not  having Gellert with us.” 

Albus froze.   

Cordelia laughed.  “You still think about him, don’t you?  At least I got to sleep with him.  You could have, too, if you hadn’t been such a fool.  He wanted us both, you know, and that could have happened, if you hadn’t been so stuck in the broom closet.  I would have been willing to share.”

“I still dream of him.  I had him in my dreams, for what it’s worth.”

"All you ever had to do was ask.  He knew how you felt, I knew how you felt, but it was crucial you owned it, and you wouldn't.  You'd rather burn ... and that made you so bitter, so angry at him for being what you loved you had to kill it.  You seem to abandon or kill all who you love."

Cordelia fired up the silver opium pipe.  "Hekate gave us the poppy to help us to transition to death," she said.  "You Hogwartians always forget to acknowledge the gods, the source of all magic,"  she said.  She inhaled the vapor, then passed it to Albus.

"I have had to deal with the fact I did nothing when they came after him.  Nothing.  Maybe I could have done something, but I didn't even try.  I was so embarrassed by the excesses of some of his followers . ..and the lurid Daily Profit's propaganda, so I didn't stand up for him.  I've thought about that a great deal.  So don't feel hurt.  I hate what I did, too, a crime of omission rather than comission."

She took another puff.

"Can you imagine what it's been like, alone, trapped in a room in that wretched place."

 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

The children began stirring from their beds in the east wing about noon. They went to the kitchen to get treats and then sat at the base of the mountain of presents near the tree. Gradually the adults woke up and began to come to the main room, in casual dress as was the custom.

Eli and Severus wore riding boots, breeches and sweaters to the main house. Many of the guests would want to ride today and she would be leading them to the scenic spots in the area.

By mid afternoon everyone who had stayed the night was in the main hall, eating, drinking coffee, and chatting. Albus and Cordelia entered and sat on the sofa, and the children given permission go find the presents with their name on them. After they were involved with their gifts, Cordelia began distributing presents to the adults. She gave away most of the jewelry she had been given or had made for her over the years, putting the best pieces in the family collection that had been passed down for generations. She had put a provision in her will that the “family jewels” would remain on the Farm, but could be borrowed by any of the women in the family, or by whoever was a part of the Faerie Embassy. All of the jewelry was charmed, of course. She gave away some of her vast collection of magical tools and devices, so they would be used by those who could put them to the best use.

She gave the emeralds she’d worn the night before to Eli. “You need to keep your heart chakra balanced,” she explained.

“I think I’ll wear only one or two pieces at a time, it’s too heavy!”

“’Beauty knows no pain,’” Cordelia laughed.

At sunset Cordelia had the largest sleigh with a troika hitch of Yojimbo, Secretariat, and Black Jack. She drove Albus back to Hogwarts and ferried the guests to the train station, where a holiday special train was running.

 

Severus and Eli went to the loft, and he mentioned Cordelia’s desire to see Gellert. “Do you suppose we could go there on the astral plane and see if we could do that?”

“Hmmm. That’s a challenge, yes, I think we should. We don’t have much time. We have until the Equinox. The sooner the better, I’d say. Should we go now?”

“Yes”

They lay on the bed, held hands, and left their bodies, flying through the ether to Nurmengard. There were no human guards. Gellert was completely isolated, due to his amazing ability to control the minds of other beings. They detected wards, but they were set for living creatures, not astral bodies, so they went to the cell where Gellert was imprisoned.

 

Eli was disgusted at the conditions Gellert was forced to endure, it would be illegal to treat a Muggle’s dog that way! She thought with contempt. Gellert showed signs of malnutrition, he was gaunt, drawn, his golden mane faded to a white tangled mess. His face was somehow still handsome, the strong bones symmetrical and balanced, perfectly proportioned. His eyes were still vivid blue.

He seemed to know they were there. He looked around him. “No, it can’t be anyone, no one is here, no one will come here, no one can get here.”

Eli went to him and kissed him on the forehead.

Gellert jerked backward. “I must be now completely mad.” He muttered.

“No, you’re not, Gellert, we are here … you can hear me, can’t you? Look at me,” Eli said.

“Who are you ? What are you?”

“I’m Eli le Fey, I’m Cordelia’s great granddaughter. I’m here on the astral plane, we are in contact, you are not hallucinating.”

“Is there someone with you?”

“Yes.”

“Why are you here?”

“Cordelia would like to see you before she dies.”

“I don’t have visiting hours here,” he laughed.

“The security is mostly mechanical; the building was sealed off, with wards placed on the perimeter, above and below. But I don’t think they anticipated astral bodies. You Terrans don’t do that here. So they didn’t think to block it. We had no problem contacting you. You are the only life form in the building, on the island. Let’s hope that they aren’t keeping too close a watch on you. They’re only worried about you getting out, not anyone breaking in.”

“Astral projection … you know wizards disregard anything Muggles do,” Gellert mused. “Is it true, that the Fey use technology and science? As well as magic?”

“Yes, it’s true. Why not?  We use both.  The problem with you Terrans is, the Muggles let technology use them, and the Wizards let magic use them.  It’s true, you were right about apartheid, Muggles and Wizards should not be kept separate. Just don’t try and put yourself in control, it’s better to teach people to control themselves.”

“I never thought of it that way."

“That’s why you’re here. You didn’t think. You made the same mistake every other wannabe emperor of the world always makes. Mostly they end up dead, this is worse. I thought Azkaban was horrible, this is sadistic. To leave you walled up here, alone for so long … even Muggles are not so cruel to their captives.”

 

Severus had been carefully examing the room, the door, the window. “I can’t detect anything in the room itself; most of the wards are on the building exterior and the walls.”

“Not to mention on me,” Gellert said with a sardonic smile. He opened his ragged shirt and showed them a device that was strapped over his heart with chains that dug into his skin. “If I try to take this off, if I go outside of this room, it causes a great deal of pain. Agonizing pain.”

“You tried to escape?”

“Of course. I thought I could; there are no living beings within a mile radius of this place. They don’t trust me around anything remotely sentient. No bars on the window, so I can’t hang myself. There is a spell that won’t allow me to fall. I tried jumping. Look, see the net below the window? The pain from this device … I never used any spell that caused this much pain to any creature … I could hardly drag myself back inside. I get food delivered once a day, and every now and then they give me a new blanket or some clothes. Sort of like clothes. Not like how I used to dress. Cordelia would be shocked to see my wardrobe now.” He smiled.

Severus looked at him with sympathy. “Yes, they keep you filthy and dressed in rags, adding insult to injury, just keep piling it on.”

Eli nodded. “If they feel you are so beyond all redemption, why let you live? I will never understand the cruelty involved in Terran justice. And it’s so wasteful; the amount of mojo it takes to keep just you imprisoned here would be enough to charm most of the planet for a year.”

“We’re here because Cordelia wants to see you before she dies, and we are trying to find out if it’s feasible,” Severus said. “I think it is.”

“Should I attempt to apparate?”

“You’ve got the portkeys, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s see if anything happens to me.”

As Gellert watched, Eli’s incorporeal being shimmered, then her body became opaque. She went over and sat on the bed next to Gellert, and reached out and touched his face. “See, I’m real.”

“How did you do that?”

“It’s a Fey thing. We travel a lot on the astral plane and developed a way to apparate from the astral body.”

“Interesting. Hardly any wizards use astral projection; I guess they think it’s some kind of Muggle practice, totally beneath them.”

“Muggles can do magic, you know. Maybe not as much as those you label wizards, but some have quite a bit of talent. Especially if they have one of your supercharged wands that do most of the work.”

“You can’t be serious, Muggles with magical ability?”

“But of course. After all, you’re the same species. Haven’t you spent enough time at the hands of wizardry to comprehend that Muggles can’t be any worse? I have no idea how any wizard can think they are any better.”

She took out her athame and jabbed the point on a fingertip. She put a drop of blood on a small metal device, and she placed the device in the crack in the wall. Gellert saw that she chose a spot not in the line of sight of the window, and that the metal device seemed to burrow into the wall and could not be detected.  
“That’s the locator for the portkeys we use,” Eli explained to Gellert. “We will test it before we send Cordelia, of course.”

“You didn’t ask me if I wanted to see her.”

“That’s because I don’t care. She wants to see you, and she will.”

He raised his eyebrows. He liked her attitude. Just like Cordelia.

 

Eli sat on the bed next to him. She looked into his eyes, his mind. She could feel him try and probe her mind, and she let him do it. She wasn’t too surprised to find out she liked him, despite all that had been said about him. Mostly the source on him was Albus, who was clearly biased, and Eli had seen enough of his duplicity to mistrust his take on the man. She’d make her own mind up about Gellert, but it was telling that the authorities didn’t want anyone to talk to him. So she would.

Severus drifted over to sit on Eli’s other side. Gellert was a legend, someone so feared in his homeland his name was never mentioned, and his legacy of good works for the community forgotten. A few of the older wizards remembered him fondly, because they had been there, and they knew what really happened.

 

It was a common enough problem, where the fanatical followers start running amok and doing nasty things. Thugs and the demented followed him and began to do things, especially with the local Muggles, that simply could not be condoned. There is no honor in subjugating the helpless, and he had nothing but contempt for those who did so. The association with the Muggles, the Germanics, were behaving like the barbarians they always were.

He began to thin the ranks, kicked out many of the more disturbed and disturbing wizards, which was why he was held totally incommunicado. He knew their secrets, Too many of the current high officials in the Wizarding world did things they did not want made public, all denied any association with those Muggles and their war, but some of the Elders knew better … and knew enough to keep silent on the matter.

They all had written extensive memoirs, to be published after they died.

Too bad he couldn’t write his own memoirs.

Eli smiled at him. “I think it would be a great idea. Maybe we can help. Get you something to write with. You’re not opposed to technology, are you? It won’t be detected by any of their wards, of course.”

Gellert grinned. “Isn’t that one of the main reasons why the Ministry hates you Faeries so much? Because you use science and technology with your magic?”

Eli grinned back. “Of course, I am totally opposed to the magical apartheid imposed by that Statute of Secrecy. It was a terrible law and never should have been written.”

“So why don’t you go further back and change that?”

“We will.”

 

“I think we should get back,” Severus said.

Gellert took her hand. “Thank you for visiting. I hope you can excuse the mess, it’s so hard to get good help these days.”

“It was wonderful to meet you,” Severus said. "Blessed Yule."

Eli took out one of the portkey devices.  
“Be seeing you,” she said and pushed the button.

Severus smiled and flew off.

Gellert wasn’t certain it wasn’t an hallucination.


	4. Gellert Gets On Aethernet to Avalon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nurmengard's wards apply to magic, not technology, so Eli gives Gellert a tablet to connect him to Avalon, so he can write his memoirs and get in contact with Cordelia via Aethernet, a multidimensional communications system.

Eli returned to Nurmengard the next evening. She was alone, but carried her sword.

Gellert noticed it immediately. “You brought a sword?”

“Yes, since I’m here alone and we aren’t certain this is safe.”

“Must be a really good sword.”

“This is Dyrnwyn, you know.”

“I’m impressed.”

“So nothing has changed here? Anything out of the ordinary happen? We need to make sure that it’s safe enough for Cordelia to manifest here".

“No, nothing happened, the food was delivered at the same time,” Gellert said.

“You look like they don’t feed you very well.” “Just bread, maybe some rancid meat or some cheese, just enough calories to keep me alive,” he said.

Eli shook her head. “Worse than Muggles. I don’t like this realm much at all. Can’t wait to finish my mission and go home.”

“So tell me about Cordelia. She is dying?”

“Yes. She has until the Equinox. She wants to spend some time with you. She’s missed you all these years, and regrets she did nothing to help you.”

“She couldn’t have done anything. I would not have wanted her to see me, to hear the lies they told about me, yes, I did some terrible things, but not what I am accused of. I had to take responsibility for those who were working for me. I’m not like your great grandfather, running away from responsibility.”

“You made a good fall guy, they dumped a lot of false charges on you to justify keeping you isolated, they don’t want anyone to hear your story. So that’s what we’re going to do.” She opened her shoulder bag and took out a sheet of what looked to be flexible metal, 8 by 10 inches, and a quill. “You can use anything to write with, a stick, even your finger, I just thought a quill would be a nice touch. Just write on it. A copy is sent automatically to Avalon, and copies to my libraries at the Farm and my personal collection.  With your permission we’d like to publish it and keep it in our library.”

“Me? A published author? Certainly!”

“Now, note that there is a page number at the bottom. When you finish a page, it automatically stores it in memory, and if you want to read it, here’s what you do.” She touched the top of the page, and a menu scrolled down. “See where it says ‘search?’ You can write the page number here in the box. There are instructions here,” she said, touching a symbol, a question mark, in the upper right corner. “It’s called a help menu. If you want, you can dictate into the page, if you hit this,” she said, pointing to a symbol, that looked like a mouth.

“So this is technology?”

“Well, our stuff is a lot more advanced than what the Muggles have, but you’d be amazed at what they’ve done, did you know they even put people on the moon? Sad to say, they stopped space exploration in favor of overpopulation, war, and economic games of chance. Our space program is a lot smaller but we’re already out of the solar system. I just hope we make contact with other sentient species during my lifetime … in my next life I want to come back when we’re out there with other beings.”

“So the reason the Fey are so ahead of us is because you use science and magic.”

“You got it, Gellert.  Now this is the really cool part. If you turn it over to the lighter side, it’s an encyclopedia, our entire library is at your disposal. Let me show you how a search engine works.”  Eli took a packet of the pastries Tabby made for him and handed it to him with two apples from Avalon.

“I don’t know how to thank you.”

“All in a day’s work, Gellert.”

 

 

“Tell me something. Did your great grand dad ever come out of the closet?”

Eli laughed. “Oh, no, he always thought his disguises he wore when he was hanging out in the back room of the Two Wizards pub could fool me … I saw him there a couple of times.”

“What were you doing there? Play on both sides of the fence, eh?”

“Naw, just a fag hag, went there with friends. It’s a nice bar.”

“Yes, it is. We all used to go there back in the day.”

“Cordelia told me. I told some of the other students, and word got around, someone saw Albus … and then he started to wear disguises.” Gellert smiled. Eli could see the traces of great beauty in his face, his smile lit his face up and she could see why Cordelia could not forget him.

“Poor Albus. We never slept together. Because he would not ask me. He was so obvious, all but throwing himself at me naked on more than one occasion, but he wanted me to make the first move and ‘seduce’ him. I don’t need to do that. I never did. Because he didn’t want to take responsibility for sex, wouldn’t admit what he was. Intellectually dishonest, can’t face himself.0.. Deep down there is a wide streak of cowardice in Albus.”

Eli laughed. “You don’t have to tell me that, I’ve seen it for myself. That’s why he needed you, for your courage. You needed him to stay focused, stay grounded. Look how you let things get out of control, and your group violated every principal you admired, and then, rather than try and contain and control your followers, you followed them!”

“Not entirely … did you know that I was convicted of “murdering” some of my followers for their actions? Can you imagine? I merely euthanized a few rabid dogs, who were my followers, to stop them from raping and murdering Muggle women, and I get sent here as a reward!”

Eli’s eyes opened wider. “Oh, how typical, sounds like something the Ministry in Britain would do. I knew it had to be something that duplitious … so devious and self serving, so hypocritical. No wonder they sealed you up alive in here, to keep you silent, and to make you suffer more than executing you would do.”

“You do have a point, I did let things get out of control and trusted a few of the wrong people. Maybe I should have stayed after Ariana died. But … I couldn’t face her death, that poor dear thing, she was so sweet, it tore my heart out to see her pain, if only her stupid brothers had allowed her to be taken for treatment in Vienna. There were some magical alienist therapists who could have helped. But no, Albus wouldn’t let her travel, had to keep her hidden, wouldn’t admit she even existed sometimes. Neither he nor his brother were suitable caretakers, but they would rather hide her at home than to get her any real assistance, use her as an excuse not to go out and do something with their own lives.”

“They’d rather keep her trapped with her inner daemons and use her as an excuse for not trying. I get it. Now. Let me show you how to use the library. But first, I have to set the system up so only you can use this device.” She touched the top right corner of the screen. She touched the center, and traced a rune n the white box that appeared. “Put your fingers on the screen” and moved his hands to cover the device. “It reads your DNA. After I set it for you, only you can work this. Only you can activate it, only you can see what is on it.”

“DNA?”

“It’s a lot to explain at once.” The tablet emitted a soft chime. “Done. Now, touch the upper right corner. To search for information, write what you want in the box.” He wrote in “astral projection.”

“I think I’d like to learn how to use this, it can’t be too hard, if Muggle can do it, and it’s a way to get out of this cell.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” A list of books scrolled down the screen. “When you see something you want to look at, touch the title.”

Gellert touched a line on the tablet, and the screen changed to show the title page of a book in Runic. “Good choice, that was the text I had. Now, look at the bottom, that’s the page number, and the arrows on either side will turn the page.” Gellert smiled. “To write your memoirs, turn to the other side, and use the quill or your finger to write. As you do, copies are sent to the main library in Avalon, and my place at the Farm and in Avalon. So if you want to contact me, or anyone in Avalon, just write it down and we’ll get it right away. Sure beats using owls, eh?” Eli stood up. She smiled at Gellert. “Be seeing you,” she said, pressed an amulet she wore around her neck, and disappeared.

Gellert began to write. When the sun went down, he noticed the screen began to glow softly. So this was technology, he mused. When his hand began to cramp, after many hours of nonstop writing, he turned the tablet over and began to learn how to master astral projection.

“I think I needed Cordelia more than Albus. She is, I don’t know to say this, a moral compass? The one who keeps you from the wrong path? She always knew just what to say to keep me from getting too manic." he thought to himself, as he wrote a letter to Cordelia.


	5. Two Funerals, The End of an Era

Cordelia’s Last Days

Gellert adapted to technology quickly. He spent his days alternating between using the Aethernet to read about recent history, which he’d missed completely, locked up in his cel, and writing his memoirs. l. He slept in short naps, so involved he had to remind himself to eat. What a change for the past, how many years had it been?

  
He’d gone through stages over the decades. At first, he was angry, screaming his outrage to the gods. Then, he tried to figure out a way out of his prison. He didn’t have a wand, and what magic he could do without one didn’t have any effect. He’d built the place with powerful wards and charms to block magical attacks from the outside, and somehow his captors had found a way to turn it around to block magic from escaping the confines of his cell.After years of acting like a trapped rat, scurrying around for any possible way out, he slipped into a state of lethargy, sleeping most of the time. His dreams were his only escape.

He was writing when Eli floated in on the astral plane. He looked up and smiled at her as she apparated. He had been so starved for contact with any creature, and he truly loved her, because she had the same characteristics he’d loved in Cordelia; intelligence, courage, and humor. He’d done some research on her background and was not surprised to read of her outstanding military career. He looked at her with a smile as she apparated.

  
“Cordelia is coming by in about an hour. I brought you this,” she said, reaching into her bag. “Shampoo. Concentrated. Only takes a drop,” she said, going over to the basin that was his only source of water. There was a steady stream of water into the basin, but no way to contain the water, so he was forced to use his hand to drink. Without any form of soap, and only cold water, it was difficult to stay clean. She pulled out a collapsible cup, and motioned him over. She shampooed his hair, then spent the rest of the hour combing out the tangles in his hair, helped by a drop of special hair dressing balm with a bit of blue pigment, made from lapis lazuli, to make his white hair gleam.

As she dressed his long hair, Gellert asked Eli about astral projection. “I read the book and I’m doing the exercises,” he said.

  
“How is it so far?”

  
“I got out of the cell last night. Took a look around, and now I know what methods they used to guard this place. It would take a lot of magic to get around the wards, because of the locator on me,” he said, pointing to the device on his chest. The only way out of here for me is on the astral plane. Maybe if I can master your ability to manifest physically, if that’s possible for me. I’d have to figure out how to get rid of this thing.”

  
“No Terran has ever been able to do that, yet,” she replied. “Cordelia wants to know if she can set up a visual link with you, I know you already figured out how to talk to her on the tablet. She is reading everything you write as you write it. The Psychohistorians in the College of Druids are fascinated, you’ve got a following already.”  
“I wish I could see Avalon.”

  
“I can take you there on the astral plane,” she said. “Since I’m a necromancer, you can visit me there on Samhain, after you die.”

  
“Then that is an Hecate’s Seal around your neck,” he said, pointing to the amulet.

  
“Not many Terrans would know that,” she smiled. She plaited the locks of hair next to his face, to keep it out of his eyes when he was writing. “There. You look a lot better.”

 

Cordelia appeared in the cell, using the portkey that Eli had made, using Faerie, rather than Terran, magic. She looked at Gellert, burst into tears, and went to him and held him in her arms.

  
“I don’t look that terrible, do I, my love?” he said, stroking her hair.

 

Eli activated her portkey and left them alone.

Cordelia visited him once every day, generally at night, when the signs of aging on both of them was muted. She helped him work on his memoirs, editing his work on her home system. Gellert learned astral projection and came to her parties, visited Avalon with Eli, and ‘haunted’ Albus. Albus could see him, and was terrified the first time Gellert came to him. Gellert preferred Cordelia’s company. Albus was still an annoying, self centered, self serving, selfish prat. "What did I ever see in him," Gellert wondered.

 

From an existence of nothingness, total boredom and apathy, Gellert suddenly had no time to waste. As spring approached, he and Cordelia spent as much time together as they could, working on his memoirs, either in his cell on the physical plane, or him coming to her on the astral plane.

  
Cordelia spend Candlemas clearing out her possessions. She gave a swan feather quill to Gellert, a quill she had made when she was young, from a feather given to her by one of the swans who swam in the lake. Gellert came to services at the Temple in Avalon with Cordelia and her family, noticing that there were many who attended on the astral plane, passing through the flame forming the fire wheel. They watched the serpents awaken, saw the serpent paths of earth energy come back to life.

 

The time flew by. And so it came to pass, that Cordelia died, that Equinox, at noon, a the time when the tides were still, when the world was in balance. Gellert held her spirit one last time, as she was escorted by Eli, Jeanne-Marie, and the Crone herself, to the three way crossings. Gellert said farewell, until they met again when he came to her here. He went back to his cell, and dedicated the rest of his life to telling his story. Eli visited him regularly, and he took an occasional break from writing to visit Avalon, consulting with the Druids editing his autobiography. He had no interest in Terra anymore.

If only life gave you second chances, he thought. He should have stayed with Cordelia, he should have forced the Dumbledore brothers to send their sisters to Dr. Psyche Firestone, the intellectual muse of Karl Jung.  

He was at the Farm for the funeral, of course, on the astral plane. There was a huge turn out, virtually all of Hogsmeade, as well as almost all of the friends she had made over the years. The High Priestess of Avalon personally conducted the ritual, with a group of acolytes, Druids, and Bards backing her up.

  
Albus sat next to Gwydion and Katsumi. Abeford sat on his other side.

  
The few who hadn’t guessed about Gwydion’s paternity now had the evidence right in front of them.

Neville noticed this. Gran elbowed him. She knew, too. So did Athena Addington, sitting on his other side. Neville observed that Eli and Severus were sitting as far away from Albus as they could while staying with the family in the front rows. His Gran had warned him about how the Morgans were Old Believers and so he shouldn’t be be too surprised at anything that happened at the service.

  
Neville thought it was the most moving and loving memorial service he’d ever seen. He saw that a new painting of Cordelia was now in the place of honor over the fireplace in the main hall, overlooking the ceremony. He couldn’t help but see that Albus was also looking at the painting, and crying.

  
Albus was crying for his lost youth, his lost honor, his lost courage., not just for losing the last friend he had from the days before he turned tail on his own morals and began to ‘go along to get along’ with the powers that be, essentially aiding and abetting the hostile takeover of the Ministry. He cried for Gellert, for all those lost in his years of mismanagement. Cordelia was the last person who was honest with him, who never bought his duplicity and equivocation.

 

Cordelia was the last of the Morgans, the final matriarch, interred in the crypt beneath the house. She was given full honors, same as any citizen of Avalon. At the end, her coffin was carried by six Faeries, including Jeanne-Marie and Eli, and laid to rest, and the flowers and farewell gifts brought by the mourners buried it and filled the crypt.

The crypt door was closed for the final time. She was the omega Morgan woman, the one who was there to greet the prophecy, to reopen the hillgate to Avalon, to give back the land to the Fey.

 

After the ceremony there was a reception with a funeral feast, libations were poured on the ground, and all those present spoke of Cordelia, the things she had done, the things she had said. Neville sought out Eli, and hugged her. She held him tenderly and kissed his forehead.

  
“Thank you for coming, Neville.”

  
“I met her only once; I wish I had known her better.” He looked at a picture he’d brought with him to leave on the altar, of his mother with Cordelia, taken at the Yule party in 1977. “That was her wedding dress, wasn’t it?”

  
“Yes, she wore it to a party, it’s one of Cordelia’s, and your mother asked to borrow it, I believe that was when Frank first asked her to marry him. He loved that dress, and how she looked in it. Athena Addington has it, with her other things. I gave her a pearl necklace, and got Frank new riding clothes and boots. She said, when you were born, that whoever your married could have the dress next.” She pointed to a Calico Manx, sitting at Alice's feet. "That's Morrigan, your mother's cat. When your mother was attacked and sent away, she cried and cried, until I took her to Avalon. She's still there, you know. We take in a lot of cats and horses from Terra when they lose their human protectors, if they can find their way to a gateway they can always find their way through the mists."

 

 

Severus had replaced the oval mirror over the fireplace at Spinner's End with a one way mirror that hooked up to Avalon as well as Eli’s network in the loft. There was always someone monitoring and recording what went on in several places. The mirrors she had given people at Hogwarts, and her friends, helped her keep up to what was going on. The mirrors were also transmitting directly to the Crone and the Council of Elders. Severus took comfort from the fact he was being watched over by Avalon.

  
The Fey had been right, that Riddle would not consider them a threat. He was so specieist he felt they were weaker than Muggles, due to their ethical and moral standards. He believed the same as the Ministry, that Faerie magic just didn’t work in his realm. He never considered the possibility that Eli had deliberately concealed almost all of her abilities. Riddle thought them fools, assumed they would stay in their playground prancing about with unicorns, dancing in dream time. Severus let him think that. He even laughed at Riddle’s risqué jokes about Eli. Riddle was arrogant enough to think he didn’t need to know about other regions. Thus, he had no contact with the Pacific Rim Authority and the Faerie Warriors who had been their oldest ally. He hadn’t bothered to learn from the North American shamans, who knew of and worked with the Fey.

 

The day Narcissa Black forced Severus into taking the Unbreakable Vow, Eli wept. She didn’t have to consult with the Elders to know how this would end. The Crone ordered her to step up her surveillance, monitor him on the astral plane whenever possible. She was given leave from her unit to do this. Until Riddle was dead, Severus was her only duty. It wouldn’t be long before the shit hit the fan, as they said on Terra.

 

Eli saw all of the events as they happened, either from the astral plane or on one of the scrying devices she used. The story of how it happened has been recorded by so many, there is no need to go over what happened.

  
She felt everything Severus felt. She knew his thoughts. She was there to hold him, to allow his emotions to be soothed, to restore his balance, so the horrors and the pain would not overwhelm him. The Fey were impressed with his equanimity, he endured far more than could have been expected, even of the most trained mentalics practitioners. All of Avalon followed the battles on Terra, and Severus was developing a following among the people.

  
It was impossible to keep what was happening from Lily and Takeshi, they knew. Both of them were “returnees,” sent back soon after death to complete their mission. They were essentially the same person they had been before being murdered, and as the physical brain of the children developed more and more awareness of their past live was integrated into them. Such children required special training, and they had been most carefully educated by the Druids as well as the Priestesses and Crones. The older they got, the more they remembered. Takeshi was considered one of the top bards already. Lily regularly performed rituals with the High Priestess, and sat with the Mothers and Crones when they discussed the war and what should be done. Lily loved Severus, her former friend and now her father, intensely. She spent as much time with Eileen as she could. She had been right; they should not have gotten romantically involved. She would have held him back, and he never could have been the lover and husband she wanted.

  
It occurred to her that in the Arthurian triangle that destroyed Camelot, Severus was Arthur, she was Guinevire, James was Lancelot, and Eli was Morgaine. If only had Guinivere had married Lancelot, and Arthur stayed with Morgaine, there would have been a much happier ending to the story. Was this their chance to get it right? She thought they had. She was terrified of the dangers her father faced, and saw how much it hurt Eli to protect him and guard him from the evil he’d been forced to face, at least in part to her fecklessness and perfidy. She knew Eli would do anything to save him, and trusted her to do so. After all, it was Eli who had handled her request for Sanctuary and Rebirth. Eli would give Severus everything he needed. She could not have done that.

  
She decided she would never go to Terra, except for on the astral plane. She saw how Terra affected Eli, she knew how damaged Eileen had been by both Muggles and Wizards. As her memories returned to her, she recalled how her Muggle sister loathed and envied her gift, how the wizards always had such contempt for Muggles, for Squibs, and the more she thought about it, the more she realized how prejudiced Wizardry was towards their own species.

  
Even James made Muggle jokes. She always hated the way that word sounded, and Squib was worse. She loathed how the other magical species were so mistreated and demeaned, how the Ministry gave up without a fight against Riddle, how Albus used children, her own son served up a human sacrifice. She had visited her son on the astral plane, accompanied by the High Priestess, and they often entered his dreams.

  
Her life was with her family on this side of the mists.

 

Eli followed Severus, after his encounter with Harry, apparated with him to the Farm. He sat down next to the fire, looking out the window at Hogwarts with the ‘thousand yard stare.’ She went to him, kissed his forehead, and led him by the hand to the stables, and saddled Black Jack and Yojimbo. “We’re going to Avalon for a while,” she whispered in his ear. “Let Black Jack take you home.” It was not considered unethical to use psionics to manipulate those in psychogenic shock, to get them to treatment faster. They rode the horses through the gateway and then to her flat. She led him to the bed, then removed his outer clothes and shoes. She sat on the bed, and pulled him on her lap, with his head on her shoulders, as she stroked his hair and crooned a lullaby in his ear.

  
This was no ordinary lullaby. It was designed to allow a person to cry out their pain, useful with those who had to repress emotional responses, particularly useful in helping those who have endured psychic trauma in warfare. His tears began to flow. Eli felt a wave of pain, like a tsunami breaching a sea wall, overwhelming his psyche, all she could do is let him sob, and share his pain. His tears permeated her skin and went to her soul, agonizing, unendurable pain, as he relived the events. Eli knew he would replay the scenes, over and over, each time the pain would lessen slightly, as he grew to accept the reality of what had occurred. Eli had to keep her own feelings shut down. She did not want to reveal the rage she felt at Albus for manipulating Severus into doing this. Albus had prevented Draco from fulfilling his mission, because he wanted Severus to be forced to execute him, in front of Harry.

  
So Severus would be hated by the boy whose life Severus had dedicated his own to protect. Lily’s son would hate him even more than he hated his mother’s assassin. This was such exquisite, manipulative sadism on the part of Albus, that demonstrated what a coward and bully he was. She remembered how he had never helped Severus when the Marauders unlawfully attacked him, always taking the side of the bullies in conflicts. There would be justice. Now that he was dead, she knew how to make him pay for his karmic debts. And she would.

 

  
Eli held him tightly, rocking him in her arms, helping him to pour out his grief, his horror, at what had happened. Lily’s son hated him more than he hated Riddle. She took his pain, gathered it in a part of her soul where she could pass it back to its source. She would bring it back to Albus at the crossroads. After a few hours, Severus was completely exhausted. The strain of the past days had taken too much out of him. Eli tenderly laid him to rest on the bed, and called in Emerald and Eileen, who sat with him to soothe him.

 

Eli had to go back for the funeral, since the article by Rita Skeeter about Albus’s death had included the paternity of Gwydion Morgan. The gossip about this had started after Cordelia’s funeral, when Albus sat next to Gwydion, and the resemblance was obvious. Those old enough to remember back in the day were aware of just how much time Cordelia had spent with Albus, and now that both were dead, there was no reason not to talk about it.

  
Cordelia agreed with Oscar Wilde, the only thing worse than being talked about was not being talked about.

 

Eli dressed in formal mourning robes, with her Hekate’s Seal amulet as the only relief to the black, fitted hooded robe.

  
She took her place next to Jeanne-Marie, who sat next to Katsume and Gwydion, with Abelford on Gwydion’s other side. They sat at the rear of the assembly. Neville looked at Eli, and caught her eye. She looked back, and he noticed a red tear flowing out of her eye.

  
This was what was called a blood tear. When a Faerie is deep distress, a blood tear is shed. If enough of these were shed, the Faerie would die. Horace noticed the tear as well. He had been disappointed in his effort to collect any of her tears when she was a student, and he looked at her with avarice; a blood tear could sell for the worth of most of the Malfoy fortune.

  
Those who knew of this phenomena assumed that the tear was shed for her great grandfather, but she had no tears for him. She cried for Severus. For his pain, for his sorrow, for all the abuse, the scorn, the hatred shown by those present to him, all of it to benefit Albus. If only they knew of Albus’s ultimate plan for Harry, to be sacrificed, perhaps they would not be so unhappy at his demise, which was, after all, his own doing. His arrogance, his ego, caused him to put the ring on his finger. Even a first year student would know better; that such a talisman would possess incredible wards on it. The tear ran down her cheek and fell to the robe, over her heart, where it was absorbed.

 

Eli tried to make a quick getaway after the ceremony, but was blocked by Horace and Minerva. She caught Neville’s eye and motioned for him to come over.

  
“Neville, how have you been?” She noticed he was holding back his tears.

  
She put her arms around him and walked with him to the horses hitched to the Morgan coach. He was sniffling. “It’s sad, isn’t it, he’s been sort of your father all these years, hasn’t he?” she said.

  
He nodded, and began to cry.

  
Eli hugged him, stroking his hair, softly speaking words of consolation, in a voice that soothed him.

 

Hermione noticed them. She watched as Eli took out a handkerchief and wiped his face with a look that reminded her of her mother, consoling her when she was a child. Harry followed her gaze and was touched by the scene. Maybe she wasn’t so mean, after all, and he’d been shocked to find out about how she was Albus’s great granddaughter. She must have conflicted feelings about this. There was something about Snape’s face as he aimed the curse, now that he thought about it. Was Snape under a curse himself?  And there was something else, which had bothered him once he'd calmed down.  Snape hadn't used any curses on him.  Harry realized Snape could have easily killed him, maimed him, destroyed his mind, and he didn't.  He used only defensive spells against everything Harry hit him with.  

 

“Let’s got rescue Neville from that Faerie,” Ron said, while ogling Jeanne-Marie. Even in a plain black robe, with the hood up, she was the most beautiful female he’d ever seen.

  
“You stay back,” Hermione said. She approached Neville, and overheard Eli saying to him, “You will be strong, like your mother, you will prevail, the Goddess put her mark on you. Bless you, my son,” she said, and kissed him on his forehead. She held him close, then looked at Hermione, “Here are your friends, and I am going back with my family to the Farm.”

  
“What if … what if I can’t . .. if I am not brave enough? I’m such a screw up, I can’t …”

  
“I have faith in you, Neville.”

  
Eli glanced at the group, then spun around and leaped in the coach. They watched the coach drive away.

  
For once, even Hermione had nothing to say.

 

Eli went to Avalon as soon as she got out of the coach. She ran from the terminal to her flat,where he was still asleep, with Emerald and Eileen sitting with him.  
She lay down next to him and entered his subconscious mind. She absorbed the pain and misery Severus was feeling, like a lightning rod.

  
When he was still asleep, Eli rode to the main temple and went to the entrance to Hectate’s realm. She made her offering to the goddess and the portal opened for her. She summoned Albus, who appeared before her.

She walked up to Albus, then clapped her hands over both of his ears.

  
“Here, take back this pain you caused, coward. You couldn’t face your own death so you made Severus kill you, in front of Lily’s son, who now hates Severus, now you have made Severus the villain, to be hated, because of your failures. Albus Dumbledore, J’ACCUSE. In front of Hecate, all of the gods, I demand justice. “

  
When she dropped her hands and stepped back, Albus’s head seemed to expand slightly, then contract. He fell to his knees, mouth open in a silent scream.

  
Albus saw the faces of all those whose deaths he had caused, directly or indirectly, when he failed to act, when he made a mistake in judgement and didn’t try to correct his error.

“your own son didn’t even want to live on the same side of the planet with you.  
You withhold the truth from those who have every right to expect you’re being honest with them.”  
“You ran from everyone who ever loved you.”  
“You lied to yourself about what you were.”  
“You were intellectually dishonest and morally bankrupt.”

Eli turned her back on him and went to the goddess, bowing deeply. She crouched down and greeted the dogs by name, scratching them behind the ears before taking the pathway back to Avalon.

  
Albus prostrated himself before the crowd of faces, all of them turned their backs and walked away silently. Hecate and her dogs disappeared. He was alone. He lifted his head. No, not alone, there were two women approaching him. One was slowly twirling a scourge.

  
“I’m Nemesis. This is Themis. We’ll be handling your case.”

  
The other woman smiled. “You didn’t think you could get away with anything, did you? Everything catches up with you here.”

Eli returned to Avalon and curled up next to Severus. Max and Morrigan, who had moved here when Alice was attacked, curled up on his other side.


	6. 1997 Samhain Visitation

  
James hadn’t tried to find Lily, and had no idea she had been reborn in Faerie, until Sirius told him. She hadn’t sent him word, and since Eli was the only necromancer he knew, and he knew how much she disliked him, he never asked. He mostly floated around feeling sorry for himself, until he made contact with many of the souls sent through the veil by Voldemort and his followers.  When Albus appeared that summer, he finally began to understand the truths he had avoided.  His mentor was not the hero he had thought.  Albus was more of a co-conspirator than a hero.  

 

This year, Sirius got James to come along with him to Avalon. When he stepped through the veil at Hekate’s Gateway to Avalon, he chose to manifest at the same age he was when he died. He, like everyone else, was a perfected version of his genotype, he didn’t need glasses at all. Since he was a wizard he easily conjured clothing as he went through the veil, his usual jeans and sweater. No need for pretenses. He always preferred comfortable clothes, always letting whatever female who was taking care of him to select his wardrobe.

 

Avalon was more than he anticipated. It was a beautiful place, the air was clear, with a faint scent of flowers, grass, and hints of incense from the Temple. He gawked at all of the unicorns. He’d seen only one his entire tenure at Hogwarts, and she ran away from him. Sirius said that the Fey didn’t consider them pets, if anything, the Fey were the pets of the unicorns. The two walked towards the lake, to where Eli was with most of her family at the equestrian center attached to the military headquarters. Buckbeak was with them, and flew to Sirius when he saw him.

 

“This is my pal, Buckbeak, he was about to be executed when your son and his pals saved him, and got him to me, so we could both escape.” James had been introduced to hippogriffs in his senior year, and bowed politely. Bucky bowed back. He’d even ridden one once, but he preferred his broom.

  
“I don’t suppose they have brooms here,” he muttered.

  
“No, but we can get you one when we go back to Terra. We can go there any time we want, Eli will guide us through the mists. You know we can manifest there, but I like to spend some time here, so do a lot of people, because they know we’re for real. I mean, even wizards don’t talk about Samhain, they put down the Old Believers, who were right all along.”

  
“So we should have listened to Eli all along,” James muttered.

  
“Yeah. Turns out she was right about everything, about time you admitted it.”

  
“Yeah, she called it pretty well, gotta admit it,” James said. “She despises me, she made that very clear the night I was murdered and Lily dragged me along to talk to her, that night in Tibet.”

 

  
“And you never tried to return? Even though you’d been shown the way?”

  
“I went back to my realm, checked up on Harry, but I couldn’t do anything about it, you know how he had it with his mother’s sister’s family. I couldn’t make contact, it was worse than being a ghost. I went to Hogwart’s a few times, ran in the forest as my animagus, the animals acknowleged me.”

  
“It’s different here. So you never wanted to see Lily?”

  
“She left me there.”

 

  
“You had it coming, Prongs.”  
“I know. Rub it in, why don’t you? Until she abandoned me, we went to see Harry, changed our shapes so her sister and brother in law didn’t recognize us. What was old Albus thinking, putting him with them? I know I don’t have any immediate family, but I had cousins, all wizards.”

 

‘Maybe he thought it was safer to keep him as far away from old Voldie as possible.  And she didn't abandon you, she just moved on.  Time you did the same."

  
“Maybe. Poor Harry. Still, he turned out well, he’s pretty tough, almost as good at flying a broom as his dad.”

  
“I agree with Eli, it’s so wrong for Albus to use children to fight his battles. He’s admitted she was right, don’t look at me that way. I spent twelve years in Azkaban, and he didn’t raise a finger to help me. Because he couldn’t use me. He used Severus, he used you, he used Lily, and now he’s using your son. Because he failed. He helped make Voldie into what he was. He didn’t stop him, he should have known what he was. Albus has no discernment of spirits, it’s all ego with him. And I should know about monster egos. Get a grip, Prongs. Unless you want to spend all eternity where you are now, dwelling on things that happened so long ago, not admitting your own liability, you’ve got to pull your head out of your ass. Look, there they are now.”

James saw Lily, standing next to Severus, with a boy the same age as her. Eli was on Severus’s other side, and all of them turned to watch James and Sirius approaching them. Lily looked to be about the same age as she was when they met. None of them were smiling.

  
“We can’t stay here, we’ll all have to go back right away,” Eli said to Sirius.

  
Lily looked at James. “I have work to do. Can’t spend time going over our past. Maybe next year. You’d best go back with them and help keep an eye on Harry. Or run around in the forest. If you wanted to talk, you should have come here before this year.”

  
“You’re just going to walk away again?” James said.

  
“OUR son needs us,” Lily said. “I’ve been keeping an eye on him, from here, with the seers, on the astral plane, while you’ve been just dozing off in the afterlife, doing nothing to help anyone, including yourself.” She shook her head. “What did I ever see in you?” She walked away, to the Temple where she was joining the Crones at the Scrying Pool.

 

Sirius turned away from Buckbeak to James. “Come on, we’d best be going, no time to party here. Let’s go. We’ll meet up with Remus and find out what’s happening. Sorry, Bucky, no flying right now . …” he said to the hippogriff, and kissed him on his beak.

 

Eli brought the horses to the group.

  
“I don’t know how to ride,” said James.

  
“Oh, come on now, you can handle a broom, this is much easier, just let the horse do the work and don’t fall off,” Eli scoffed.

  
“Ride with me,” Sirius said. He got on the back of a red roan mare named Hippolyta, and held out his hand to James. “These horses can carry a lot of weight.”

 

Eli shook her head, and she and Yojimbo set off at a canter to the gateway. They set a fast pace back to the Farm. Severus apparated to his office at Hogwarts, and Eli led them to the Shrieking Shack, at a gallop.

  
She gave Remus a hug, and rode back to the farm with the roan mare, then went to find Severus on the astral plane.

 

Sirius asked James and Remus if they could go see his children first. Then they could figure out a way to go check on Harry.


End file.
